-

[wiithstars]

where : the creamery ice cream & coffee bar when : feb 28th @anchoragestarters

"DO YOU KNOW OF ANY PLACES THAT ARE HIRING?" The blonde had no issues with approaching anyone, the social butterfly often seeking out any conversation they could find, though in this specific case, there was an actual purpose behind their actions. Working at the veterinary clinic had become a near impossible venture when even just pulling into the parking lot of the building had Annaki thinking of their late mother, and the subsequent lack of closure where instead more heartache plagued the family, which lead to where they were now, a copy of the most recently published newspaper laid out in front of where they were seated at the coffee bar. "All of these jobs look really..." As they trailed off, their nose scrunched. "Hard." Often having a thought only be fleeting in their pretty little head, any type of demanding work was sure to be an ill fit. Dropping their chin in their open palm, their grey eyes looked down at Mochi as if the dutiful canine even needed checking on when he was content to sit by on the linoleum flooring, before looking to the person next to them then back to the newspaper that seemed to be of no aid. "I just want a job where I get to talk to people all day; that's why being a receptionist was glorious! How did you find your job? Is it perfect for you?"

[emmelinefms]

"i'm not sure. maybe the bowling alley or cinema?" the other used to work with eliana at the vets, she was sure of it. "you know, jobs look hard but you apply anyway and they get even harder." emmeline was not in the right mind to be giving out career advice when she had been feeling disconnected with it. "i talk to people." the woman nodded slowly as she put her hands together. "i talk to people in a relationship but what do i have to show for it? i'm divorced... single, if you will, my former patients also suffering the same fate." she chuckled, not finding it at all funny but she was unsure how else to react in front of annaki. "like you, i love talking to people, to help them but what if i'm not actually helping them at all? no one blinks an eye at a random act of kindness, i'm okay with that, but that's..." her clients breaking up, the loss of her best friend, the telling that rosalind wasn't the one who killed eliana - it was too much. "maybe they're looking to hire at the mental health clinic, for another receptionist, if you like talking to people, that helps. i think it helps everyone in a way, even if they're rude because it's an acknowledgement."

[lvburinthos]

exclusive starter for emmeline hall, @emmelinefms. ♡

DATE     ›     february 16th, 2025

LOCATION     ›    anchorage mental health & counseling

it’s been an unbearable month. alizka had no plans of ever visiting a mental health clinic, but this was her foster mom’s friend’s workplace. liz had always had a soft spot for the counselor, for being one of the lights in her mom’s life, recognizing how she spoke highly of her. if only she were still here—alive. though alizka was still in a phase of grief, she thought she’d pay her a visit.

before she arrived at the clinic, alizka realized they didn’t give her a call on the landline, letting her know she was on the way. for what? an unexpected visit, but really, they just wanted to have a meal with them. with a book in hand, liz was about to sit mysteriously in the waiting room but reluctantly chose to speak to the receptionist instead. “can you please let miss hall know that alizka is here—what? no, i don’t have a consultation or an appointment—huh, nope, and quite frankly, it’s none of your business. miss emmeline hall fucking knows who i am.” she gave the receptionist a bitchy look because why on earth did this feel like an interrogation room at the police station? “whether you like it or not, i’m not leaving until you let her know. thank you.” well, at least they voiced a thank you. sure, there wasn’t a please to be heard, but she wasn’t in the mood for chit-chat either. nappeun, alizka mumbled under her breath.

[emmelinefms]

emmeline had been out of sorts after eliana's death. she had called in sick to work, her mind was running every possible explanation but she felt like she was again, going against the current of public perception - she truly didn't believe rosalind was capable of such horrors. she didn't even need to wait for the phone call for her to be leaving her desk and approaching the reception area after hearing a familiar voice. "liz-" emmeline sighed and opened her hands up and out towards the other. "i''m here." eliana had been such a good friend to emmeline, more than she'd ever realised and despite her strange behaviours and the way she'd jump at surprises, she'd continued to surprise and stick by her. of course, eliana hadn't known that she'd moved to anchorage to be closer to her ex but that now felt so long ago - it was the wrong reason to come here but emmeline was actually trying to make a life for herself that didn't revolve around trying to get her ex back. she had a job, she had a best friend... that had been enough. "come, come." she pulled a smile before gesturing alizka to come to her office.

[solarflcre]

@anchoragestarters at a local news stand in downtown anchorage, february 10th

Dustin had been following the headlines, at least, from a distance — and somewhat through his association with Zeliha, their tenuous familial friendship lending his hand to boosting their tread when the podcast hit the radio once the whole world had become... internet-less. ( Really, it was still strange to click-clack at his keyboard, knowing his Word Document could only print shit out without actually going anywhere. ) Still, even his child's godparent wasn't first to the punchline of an incredibly sour joke, the screaming caps staring back at him with the announcement of Rosalind's arrest. "People have been acting so surprised, but it's still statistically proven that crimes like this come from loved ones. Like family of a significant other," he commented morosely to the company beside him, sounding his thoughts outside the realm of his own head. "We just don't know what goes on behind closed doors." Perhaps, the irony of those statistics were the same reason that he pondered often over the culprits of his parents' double homicide. Someone out there was an ordinary face among the crowd, unbeknownst to anyone for their sins. He turned a blind eye, decidedly, on what that said about himself. "Do you think they'll close down the practice, or look for someone else to be the local veterinarian?"

[emmelinefms]

emmeline couldn't believe the rhetoric that was being spun, the rhetoric that the authorities believed - was she the only one questioning it? it seemed that most of the town were happy to let rosalind rot in jail and in emmeline's opinion, that was unjust. of course she wanted to know who had been responsible for her friend's, possibly her best friend's death but not when the end result didn't feel right. perhaps she was getting bad again with the added emotional upheaval and the stress but the thought of that left her shaking her head in front of the other. "do you actually believe that? cases have been open for years, years, halloween, before that, the young woman... all unsolved yet this is suddenly oh, so simple?" her brow furrowed harshly as she shook her head again toward dustin, perhaps being a little too unprofessional but it didn't even cross her mind. "i can't be the only one questioning this, surely?" again, the unreliable narrator trope would run its course without eliana being present. "you can't just close down a service like that..." eliana had been one of the greatest people she'd ever met and now... she couldn't bring herself to face it, not really - she wasn't going to be there. "someone... something else did this."

[smileflowcrs-aa]

open starter: @anchoragestarters where: town square when: february 20th, 2024, evening

“ y'know, whenever i leave this place, i always come back to some more shit, ” musings of the guitarist rolled off the tongue without much thought, thick with indifference, the ash of their cigarette tipping off into the breeze. “ nothin' like a good ol' homecoming, huh? welcome back, we don't got balloons or confetti, but here's a little fuckin' tragedy for you! ” would it be outlandish to say that the town seemed to have some sinister rhythm of its own; a clock ticking away, counting down—always counting down—to the next casualty? how many had it been, now? who kept count? a breath of resignation left him as he sat up from where he'd been lounging on his back, swinging his legs over the edge of the concrete and taking a long, slow drag, the smoke curling up around his face. “ 's like a damn death lottery here, 'n stevie mc-creepy-crawlies is always waitin' to call your number on the six o'clock news. hell, could be me next. 'course i wouldn't be around to see the punchline, would i? ” the butt was flicked aside and grinded out, a cynical grin tugging at the edges of his mouth, just enough to show that he didn't quite consider the weight of his words ( surprising? not really ). “ could be me. could be you. musical chairs? never been good at it, personally, ” he slowly rose to his feet, arms stretching above his head, a loud, unbothered yawn escaping as he craned his neck. “ anyway. y'wanna get some ice cream? ”

[emmelinefms]

emmeline had been quick to take a eave of absence since eliana's death and although she was now back and attempting to get into the swing of things, she just couldn't. looking over to the other, the woman sighed heavily and shook her head. "i usually get pre-emptive feelings about this sort of thing but this..." her brow furrowed as she continued to shake her head. that halloween, emmeline had been on edge but she had every right to be considering what had transpired - this, this she did not see coming. if she had known her time was so limited with one of her good friends, she wouldn't have tried to keep out of her way as much as possible. it was definitely a wakeup call but perhaps it was a little too late. "she was my friend." a small nod was given, her voice soft with a little crack in it. it had been a while since she had felt a big loss like this and was finding it difficult to navigate. "we did have an odd experience together and i can't help but think it's related somehow." rosalind? it couldn't have been true - they both loved each other and for the young person to get so violent with someone who was their biggest champion? emmeline hesitated with believing it. "we had seen a strange figure in the woods, the both of us." eliana was no longer here to support her statement and emmeline did have the potential to start filling in the gaps herself with nothing but fiction. "something's really off about this. a lot is off here. perhaps we could ignore it but is this really how everything ends for us?"

[kdramamilfs]

Simone Kessell as Lottie Matthews Yellowjackets season 3 episode 2: "Dislocation"

[cinncmonrolls]

puggy cakes — 3:45 pm. cap 0/4. @anchoragestarters

unruly and irascible she might have been, a commitment to her duties had been instilled within the rancher over recent years with the past few months witnessing a surge in fervor. not only did diligence maintain order but distractions provided a bulwark against mental tumult when her offspring were not clinging to her arms. busyness proved a double-edged sword - though it offered scant solace during nocturnes, it allowed her to cling to focus, to avoid shattering beneath the weight of her thoughts. ( perhaps more accurately, she endeavored to persuade herself of resilience against the vulnerabilities her mind insisted upon revealing. but how could it resist the re-emergence of tension, when the moschetti’s news broke, and vanishing - bodies, alive and dead, propelled another stack of newspapers on her desk? ) yet even the most indomitable amongst many falter, wounded and lacerated - and it was not until the query posed to her was reiterated that she became aware of how profoundly her attention had strayed. “sorry - fuckin’ - sorry.” partial-functioning gaze landed upward to the customer, and she should let someone else take over, really, but of course in lieu push was dragged into a shove. “yes - we’ll have valentine’s specials over the week. sweetheart swirl - raspberry and white chocolate swirl on a cheesecake. there’s more but - wouldn’t want to ruin the surprise, yeah?” she wasn’t certain if that had been the question in the first place.

[emmelinefms]

there was a time when not having a valentine's would have upset emmeline, that or she would have tried to deliver an unwanted gesture to another that just didn't feel the same way. however, she'd just lost one of her good friends, eliana, everything felt different - a reminder of mortality and everything could be taken away in a moment. the woman would miss the other greatly and she wouldn't realise how much until she realised that the other was never going to be sat waiting for her to finish work to pick her spirits back up. emmeline wanted nothing more than to stay by herself, have a drink and also pick up some cakes. "oh, no need for that. i'm only buying for myself. no doubt i'll be back tomorrow when you're needing to get rid of stock." emmeline chuckled. "the swirl sounds very indulgent and very tempting, though, i may opt for something lighter."

[no-one-asks--any-questions-here]

Khadroma didn't necessarily blame the woman for being reluctant. To someone who hadn't grown up in their culture, randomly taking a shot of vodka for a headache probably sounded a little excessive at best and an excuse to go buck wild at worst. Chuckling, she shook her head and said "I know it sounds a bit odd but believe me, I'm not suggesting you that open a tab and go crazy. But a single shot of vodka always helps to get rid of my headache--at least, as long as it's something good, like Stolichnaya. None of that Smirnoff or Tito's crap." No offense to Americans but their vodka was god awful. Personally for Roma, it was Stolichnaya or nothing--though these days, she drank more wine than vodka. Of course, she wasn't about to try to force it on the woman either. "But I understand wanting to start off softer, that's completely fair. Did you have anything in mind? Besides the water, I mean?"

[emmelinefms]

emmeline narrowed her eyes slightly out of confusion but also by curiosity. "well, i was never one for doing shots. bad things happen when i take shots." the woman chuckled as she thought about the abundance of messy situations she had found herself in when under the influence. "how about the-" she paused, not remembering the name of the spirit that the other had just given. "-that, what you said, but with a mixer. perhaps some lemonade? diet, if you have it - sugar in alcoholic drinks also sends me a bit-" she brought her hand up to the side of her head and spun a finger around in a circle. it was an excuse and emmeline felt she hadn't started the year in the best or right way for her. "sorry." she let out a soft sigh and slumped her shoulders, forearms pressing into the bar. "january, am i right?" she chuckled.

[morphemeta]

the marionette, ground floor; 22nd january, afternoon / @anchoragestarters

Playing the role of concerned citizen, invested city council member, was one thing but performing that role to any satsifying degree was quite another. Hirokazu Amuro had not complained when he'd been taken aisde by the cops to give his take on what he'd seen but he'd remained utterly tightlipped about any detail not immediately crucial to the case. His business was entire his own. Of course, this was not a rule that applied both ways; everyone else's business was his as well and this whole thing had more than piqued his curiosity.

He'd been stood by an elevator on the ground floor of the Marionette, lit cigarette in his hand and smoke billowing up toward the high ceiling. There were no rules, of course, to stop him and any passerby who thought to complain would have received the deeply scathing gaze of a man who thought they were -- just as deeply -- stupid for even bothering. Still, with one sharp clap of the hands, a passerby's attention was demanded all the same.

"Dreadful what's happened here, eh? It does make you wonder about the state of security though," said Kaz, coolly, a drag taken from that still lit cigarette. "In a place like this too, to think it could so quickly go the way of that dreadful cinema downtown."

[emmelinefms]

things happened around anchorage, bad things like this but this was the first time the cruelty had reached emmeline to some degree. eliana was gone. her friend that looked out for her, who she'd have lovely outings and conversations with and even a more than strange camping trip that left emmeline questioning her own sanity. she had pulled away from the other woman to give her space, knowing that there was a lot going on with her family and indeed her work but emmeline was okay with doing that - nothing had ended sourly. now it was just regret of the missed moments with the other woman, how much more fun they could have had or whether she could have supported eliana in some way. had she been in trouble? she hadn't even asked her because the other gave the impression that she was well put together and the most reliable person she'd ever met.

emmeline had finally come to the marionette to see what she could find out. there was talk of a strange man, recounted by rosalind, then josette leighton that had supposedly slept throughout it all - how could that all be true at the same time? it didn't take much for emmeline to have her doubts but she was worried that the man from the forest had 'come back' for eliana - she kept telling herself it was illogical. "she was my friend." the woman looked up at the other, eyes already red and skin underneath red from previous tears. "nothing makes sense about it, and why would someone want to hurt her? she was one of the most brilliant people i've ever met and i've met a lot of people but she was very non-judgemental, as well." emmeline's eyes widened as she nodded frantically.

[emmelinefms]

[rebelscaped]

unspecified newsstand on a main street, 22nd january / @anchoragestarters

Anchorage was a remarkable town, in that nothing was ever the same, some new bullshit occuring on a regular basis, and yet nothing ever fucking changed either. The news of murder should have likely shaken Kael more than it did but being raised in that particular way, of having been designed and shaped to be as ruthless as any human could, had a way of numbing one's senses; true, he found needless death abhorrent and the role he'd played in the deaths of others haunted him, hanging forever over his head like a great dark cloud, but it had also instilled in him a certain understand that sometimes people die and sometimes, although less often, people are killed.

The papers had already announced it. The televised news had already made a show of it. It was funny how quickly everything became a phenomenon. But Anchorage had a limited attention span; as Kael's eyes scanned the shelves of the newsstand, he couldn't help but think that it wasn't just Anchorage, though. It was humanity as a whole. The world didn't stop or slow down for death. Just as his old friend had died without fanfare, so too would the victims of this town.

"So, how many's that now?" he asked, casually thumbing through the newspaper he'd slipped from the stand. "Headlines about some mysterious death, I mean. In the last year or so." Of course, he wasn't asking about the numbers of deaths total, unreported incidents included, because he knew fine well that was a number beyond counting. "Kinda pisses me off, actually. Makes you wonder, too, why anyone doesn't just skip town. Least, out of the people who can afford it anyway." He cocked his head back, expression softening, gaze inscrutable. "So, what do you think happened here?"

[emmelinefms]

emmeline felt her hands shaking as she stood beside the other - how could eliana be dead? the two had had their camping trip (that was an ordeal in itself) together and she'd pulled away from her. all those moments emmeline told herself that the other didn't need to bother her were now moments that were lost, that never happened. she was in shock, she couldn't quite believe that the other was dead, never mind found dead in her own home. although it wasn't the safest of places and emmeline had moved here with questionabe motives, that premise had soon subsided when she felt accepted, like she belonged and then she felt she also had respect in the community. she was slightly off, her unreliable narration something to crop up but all in all - emmeline hall had done well in anchorage.

"she was my friend." the woman's words were choked out of her. "she was my friend." there were tears in the woman's eyes. "we did see that strange being near the forest that night. it didn't come close to us but perhaps it came back for her." maybe it was coming for her too. rosalind had described someone else being there and it was playing on her mind. however, now there was no one else there to cooperate emmeline's story. "she's gone and i pushed her away because i didn't want to bother her." she sighed, the woman getting more and more worked up. "i saw it. i saw it and i didn't protect her from it. it'll come for me too."

[no-one-asks--any-questions-here]

date: january 15

location: the milk bar

@anchoragestarters

It was pretty rare for Khadroma to work the bar these days but but one of her bartenders had called out last minute and honestly, she didn't mind picking up when there was a need. The day had been relatively slow but she was certain it would pick up a little bit as the work day ended and people were undoubtedly already yearning for the weekend. When a patron came up and practically rested their head on the bar, she chuckled and said "That rough of a day, huh? Or do you just have a headache?" Reaching for a tried and true bottle of Stolichnaya, she said "You know, a shot of vodka will clear that headache right up--promise." Her Russian accent had faded over the years and now there was just a small hint of it left on her tongue, though she was in touch with her roots through and through. To be fair, the idea that all Russians loved vodka was a stereotype--however, that didn't negate the fact that the gasoline-like beverage seemed to magically cure any ailment one could possibly think of. Headache? Cough? Stubbed toe? Drink vodka.

[emmelinefms]

the new year was proving nothing but exhausting for the woman. when the cock had struck midnight, she had the sentiments of making it the best year ever but she had quickly fallen away from that idea as she struggled getting back into the swing of things after her injury and the holidays. "i do a bit, yes." emmeline sighed, wiping her eyes only to slightly smudged the light mascara that coated her lashed. "oh-" the woman widened her eyes. "i don't think that i could start on the heavy stuff." she shook her head. "perhaps something a little softer to start off with, as well as some water, please." she was probably dehydrated as she couldn't remember the time she'd drank any water throughout the day - she had a little too much coffee and this was most likely a sign she should slowly try decaf.

[s3cretkept-deactivated20250311]

To prevent solitude, Liliana went out to share in the Christmas specials the local restaurants were serving, spending hers out on the town, so to speak. Even in the midst of crowds, practising meditation but not isolation mattered a lot to her. It was difficult, after spending so many Christmases in a full house — even if in the end that house erupted to chaos. Up until last year, she made an attempt to attend the Christmas party at the Weiss residence, putting on her best themed designer clothes and stepping with confidence, only to feel treacherous and stretched thin by the end. Sometimes, not making it to the end, but barely to the middle. So part of her was a bit surprised to see Emmeline; she expected her injury might keep her down, or at least seated, for longer. "Oh! Emmeline, it's nice to see you." Genuine excitement bubbled up at the small praise. "Yeah, thanks, it seems to be a harder year than the last ones," which was putting it lightly, "so I was getting a head start." In Liliana's opinion, marriage counselling was one of the most underrated jobs. It was already hard enough to deal with one person's problems at a time, much less navigating the minefield of both combined. Would've been nice if that saved her family. "Other than that, I'm doing well today. How are you healing up?"

[emmelinefms]

emmeline had thought everything was going too well in her life until the unfortunate accident. it had knocked her off kilter, disturbed her routine and the woman was doing her best to stay on top of it - a phased return to work was definitely required. when she had too much time to think and let her mind wander, things then became a problem. her mind had started to try fill in gaps for her with ideas that would label her an unreliable narrator and she didn't want people to see her in that way - in anchorage, emmeline felt respected for the first time in a very long time. "oh, it's fine." emmeline nodded. "i thought it's better to keep going than to rot at home. it's amazing how many hours can go by when it feels like no time has passed at all. i actually miss my routine, believe it or not. i suppose i can't really treat it as a boring holiday away from work because it's not like i've been enjoying myself." the woman chuckled slightly but gritted her teeth, a little twinge from her injury creeping in. "i think you have a lot of great ideas. there has been a lot of challenging times and going into the darkest months, things will only get harder." sugar coating it was pointless when liliana had already pre-empted it herself.

[s3cretkept-deactivated20250311]

open starter: outside of the anchorage mental health & counselling building, midday or thereabouts, any date that will work. no cap, leaving this quite open on purpose! @anchoragestarters

Her instincts, driving her to be proactive instead of lying around in wait, had her printing out brochures and flyers ahead of time. With seasonal depression snuck around the corner, the holidays threatening even long-time sobriety, and the whole — well, the whole damn thing of Halloween — Liliana picked herself up from the road by taking action. Making help accessible? A sure-fire way. For her graduate thesis, she had studied the affects of paywalls against the front lobe of the brain, and how it stunted and inhibited growth. She also came with counter-evidence that providing all free resources, though a financial drain, was an emotional cushion. And wasn't that meant to be the important thing? ( Oh, she got so aware of the irony here. ) "I'm almost done here," remarked to the shadow she could swear she felt behind her. She hoped she wasn't getting, like, super paranoid or something. "But you can take a look at the brochures there if you need anything?" Always best to pose that kind of help as a question. So far, she set out resources for SAD and anxiety. Her four-inch tall, red-bottom pumps clacked against the concrete, grinding loose bits under their stiletto as she leaned to begin placing the AA brochures.

[emmelinefms]

after her injury, emmeline was easing herself back into work (sitting down for too long seemed to trigger some pain still). it was odd how it had all happened, just when things were settling for her personally, yet could have been a lot worse. her first session of the day, the counselor approached the entrance to her workplace with a smile on her face; the assistant always seemed to be doing the absolute most to combat what the dark holiday season brought out in so many. it wasn't really something emmeline had thought about - she had spent many holiday periods by herself but now, she felt like she was okay with not being with someone, more comfortable in herself and more trusting that her own actions would come from logic instead of some tangent that she'd picked up on and was unable to shake. "what a great idea." she nodded towards the other in approval. "how've you been?" it was important for her to ask her colleagues, even if she was a marriage counselor, she would always offer a helping hand or an ear for listening.

[becameundone]

Min had been trying to forget about the incident at the record store since it had happened. In the first place, Min didn't even care about records and had only gone there as a favour for Tomo, who'd been so busy preparing for his stage debut in the Single Carrot's production of Casanova that he'd run out of time to go pick up the record he'd ordered, a release by some Japanese rock band whose name Min didn't recall. (The process of getting it ordered in was a whole thing but that's a long story.) "What, so Mr Celebrity can't even pick up his own special order?" the cashier had said and, just as Min had straightened up to argue, the ladder had fallen and landed right on a customer. It had all happened so fast that Min had barely been able to register it, let alone move to help at all. That was then. Now, walking into the Creamery, her face had been the first thing he'd seen. Although his gut had told him to walk on and pretend she wasn't there, Min quickly convinced himself that, because he'd been no help at the record store, the very least he could do was check to see if she was alright now. At the very least, he might have provided himself with some closure.

But, now, sitting across from her, Min just felt a little confused. Whether it was because he'd been born in '96 and therefore was about a decade too young to just guess what happened in '87 or it was because this was an overly personal anecdote to which he had no hope of knowing the context, Min was lost. Not that he thought it'd be appropriate to tell her so. "Oh, erm, that's nice. I think?" said Min, who was not as good at masking his feelings as he thought he should have been. "I guess that's how pain meds work. I wouldn't know but I've heard they can make people go right loopy. That's probably better than the pain itself." He paused, just a few moments, and thumbed awkwardly at the thin plastic lid of his to-go iced coffee. "You holding up alright, though? I'm not really sure what the prognosis is for, uh, ladder-based injuries."

[emmelinefms]

it was a kindness to feel this relaxed given the state of the town. emmeline had been shaken by the late night sighting in the trees and now, a ladder hitting her in a store, she was incredibly relaxed. it felt amazing to her; she'd enjoy herself here and then go home for a nap. she was in no state to work due to her medication but she was quite enjoying her granted leave. there was a point where the pain would come back, just enough to remind her that it was there and then it would be time to slow down. "well, i've been like that for a while now so i don't think it's much different." the woman was definitely on some other kind of plane right now but it wasn't particularly bothering her. "oh, not so bad actually. i don't have to go to work, i'm having lovely sleeps until the pain wakes me up but that's just a healthy, healthy, healthy way of my body going woops, don't twist like that again." she chuckled.

[emmelinefms]

open: THE CREAMERY ICE CREAM & COFFEE BAR.

it seemed life had been going too well for emmeline in the general sense despite tragedy constantly encapsulating the town. perhaps she had failed to avoid a crack int he pavement that day or indeed had gone under that very ladder for it to strike her a few minutes later. it had been a scary ordeal for her, enough to shake her. she had been in pain but her prescription was working and it felt so surreal to her. staring at her drink with a straw in it without saying anything, she then hummed to herself. "goodness, i don't feel like i've been this calm since that retreat in 87. or was it 86?" in all honesty, she wasn't sure but she knew it was when she'd finally started pulling her life back together. "things do hurt but something is telling my brain it's not. how funny." @anchoragestarters

[gildcdwings]

( the local park, october 5, afternoon ) @anchoragestarters

Looking around at the crowds of people milling about the park that Saturday afternoon, Bernadette wondered belatedly if this was a horrible idea. Call it immersion therapy if you want, but for some God-forsaken reason, the illustrator got it in her head recently that the best way to beat her aversion to crowded places filled with strangers was to stick herself right in the middle of one. She had to take a moment to remind herself that this undertaking was ultimately to help her mother, and that if she got overwhelmed at any point, she could easily blend right into the crowds and slink back home to the safety and seclusion of her apartment. But she couldn't sulk off in defeat until she'd at least made an attempt to find the animals that had escaped from the veterinary clinic. And how best to go about this? She supposed she'd just have to ask around.

Cautiously clearing her throat as she steeled herself for the challenge, Bernie approached the first person that crossed her path. "Excuse me. I'm sure you must have heard what happened at the local vet a few days ago. There was an escape of sorts, so a lot of animals are roaming free around town. I was just curious: have you seen any packs of stray animals recently? We've been searching, but a lead would be helpful to steer us in the right direction," she explained, trying to mirror the verbiage used by the reporters in her orbit at work.

[emmelinefms]

despite emmeline's blatant attempt to avoid her friend, eliana, she did hope that she was doing well in the aftermath of recent events. the other woman had her family, she didn't want to impose. she was trying to keep herself grounded with what they both experienced together - perhaps her mind had exaggerated the sight before them and since, she'd been using her own imagination to fill in the blanks. that was always emmeline's danger, she couldn't simply let it rest. there had been more than a few strange and brutal occurances over the past few years and that set alarm bells ringing. in some cases, she had felt it was going to take place but did that actually mean anything? her state of mind shouldn't have been a deciding factor in whether something bad was about to happen but she'd definitely felt it last halloween, on a night where she was full of various anxieties. emmeline was one that scared easily.

the face of the other is familiar, one of eliana's children who she'd seen rather briefly these past couple of months, the one that bore resemblance to rosalind. "oh-" emmeline's eyebrows raised. "not a pack, no. i did see something strange a few months back but i don't think that's what you'd be asking about." emmeline let out a nervous chuckle. "tell me, are these animals meant to stay in packs or is it a lone wolf situation?"

[jayexsosa]

While Jaye had grown up with a love for the horror genre, even her grandfather started her off with things that would be suitable for children until she was ready. It was something that she continued to do, even offered up movies for people if they offered. "Unfortunately there are those people who would say that a movie isn't scary and then it's scary. Lucky for you, I am not one of those people. As you said not everybody wants to scared beyond belief watching a movie." She said with a small smile appearing on her face. "Well if you want to start with the black and white ones I would go with Frankenstein or Dracula or even The Mummy."

[emmelinefms]

things that made the woman feel uneasy were the most dangerous. it didn't take much to put self-doubt in the woman's mind but she'd been doing well recently. despite moving some place new, her work was stable, she didn't feel any sort of pressure to be in a relationship - it had been a long time since that was the case. things were beginning to change with her and the last thing she wanted was the fall into bad behaviours. "oh, please don't do that." emmeline chuckled. "i need to start out easy and perhaps build a tolerance, or completely avoid." she shrugged. "i'll see what's available to watch, then see if my vhs player behaves. thank you."